Bloody Foreigners - Robert Winder

Immigration is a hot topic these days, what with the United States and Europe seeking ways to further restrict access, to further seal off their borders from those who would try to escape and find a new life in these countries. The issue is all too often polarized, and it becomes far too easy to view the debate in simplistic terms, which is why Robert Winder's 'Bloody Foreigners' is such a refreshing change, for it addresses the issue from a humorous ...
...described as a history of immigration to Britain, and indeed paints a vivid portrait of the role that immigration has played not only in creating, but in sustaining Britain, a history that is often overlooked, perhaps because it has not been as well publicized as the more familiar American story.

The historical research that has gone into telling this story is astounding, but never weighty. Instead, Winder uses fascinating anecdotes ... more

Immigration is a hot topic these days, what with the United States and Europe seeking ways to further restrict access, to further seal off their borders from those who would try to escape and find a new life in these countries. The issue is all too often polarized, and it becomes far too easy to view the debate in simplistic terms, which is why Robert Winder's 'Bloody Foreigners' is such a refreshing change, for it addresses the issue from a humorous and compassionate standpoint.

The book is described as a history of immigration to Britain, and indeed paints a vivid portrait of the role that immigration has played not only in creating, but in sustaining Britain, a history that is often overlooked, perhaps because it has not been as well publicized as the more familiar American story.

The historical research that has gone into telling this story is astounding, but never weighty. Instead, Winder uses fascinating anecdotes and trivia to liven up the story (for example, did you know that the reason Britian is called "Angleterre" in French is because of a tribe known as the Angles who came to Britian early on from overseas?) and narrates how waves of immigrants, from the first wanderers from the European continent to Romans, to Vikings, Scandinavians, Gauls, Italians, Jews, Poles, Chinese and now Indians and Pakistanis have come to Britain and made the country into what it is today. More tellingly, he recounts the fears and anger that many different immigrant communities have provoked over time - the Jews received the same reactions in the 18th and 19th centuries as the Bangladeshis and Pakistanis do today.

The book also gives fascinating insight into how London has changed over time, how the ethnic composition of its neighborhoods has slowly altered - a one time Polish area and Orthodox synagogue is now home to a thriving Muslim community, and the synagogue has become a mosque in its newest incarnation.

More importantly, he highlights the role that immigrants have played in British history - from founding the great British banks, to those two symbols of Britian (at least to me, as an American) - Marks and Spencers (founded by one Michael Marks, a Jewish emigrant from Polish Russia), and the Royal Family (German, all of them. Queen Victoria spoke only German with Prince Albert, and only had one distant relative who had no German blood, otherwise she too would have been 100% German!). Nor does he shy away from telling the more shameful aspects of the mainstream society's relationship to new immigrants, including racism, ghetto-like living conditions, exclusion, and the rabid anti-German and anti-Italian sentiment that arose during the war (though the tale of the adventures in the Italian concentration camp is quite amusing).

Winder's aim in writing this book is not to necessarily influence national policy towards immigration, but to encourage a more understanding perspective of the dangers and hardships immigrants must face. He correctly observes how immigration for many is equivalent to permanent exile, and that for those who do survive the initial journey, additional hardships and isolation face them in their new homelands. Europe may be scared of the changing faces of its population, and indeed, Winder acknowledges that it will be a test to see if Britain's Muslim populations can be successfully integrated as previous generations and faiths have been.

At the end of the day, amidst all the hype and hysteria, he just wants us all to remember that immigrants are a crucial part of daily life and of national life. Immigration is nothing new, and it will always exist. This book is a fascinating, humorous, and thoroughly enjoyable history lesson, and is absolutely vital reading for those interested either in immigration or in the history of Britain. I could go on and on about this book, but I don't want to retell it here, but I will say that I highly, highly recommend it.

Happy reading!

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From the back cover:

'The story of the wat Britain has been settled and influenced by foreign people and ideas is as old as the land itself. In this original, important, and inspiring book, Robert Winder tells of the remarkable migrations that have founded and defined a nation.'

'Our aristocracy was created by a Frenchman, William the Conqueror, who also created our medieval architecture, our greatest artistic glory. Our royal family is German, our language a bizzare confection of Latin, Saxon, and latterly, Indian and American. Our shops and banks were created by Jews. We did not stand alone against Hitler; the empire stood beside us. And our food is, of course, anything but British...' - The Sunday Times 

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